Chapter 540: Taking the Lead
Mousa Dembélé passed the ball to Alli, who pushed it forward. He faced Manchester United's right-back Valencia, with Maguire lurking behind him.
Alli didn't give the two a chance to close in on him. He feigned an inside break, tricking Valencia into shifting his balance, then swiftly pulled the ball back, nudged it forward with his right foot, and broke past Valencia along the sideline.
"Valencia looks like a training cone against Alli, easily bypassed!"
Alli cut into the box and took a shot. De Gea managed to block it, and the ball fell in front of the goal. Van Dijk quickly cleared it before Morata could reach it, defusing the danger.
Even though they avoided conceding, it was clear that Alli had become a major threat to United's defense. If allowed to become more active, United's backline would be in serious trouble.
Bruno looked at the situation and then told Kanté, "N'Golo, you continue to mark Eriksen, I'll take care of Alli."
Kanté nodded without objection or surprise. It wasn't the first time Bruno had taken on a defensive role. Kanté trusted Bruno's defensive abilities completely.
...
Alli's slick move and dangerous shot signaled his resurgence to his teammates. They kept feeding him the ball down the most threatening wing. Son Heung-min could only divert some defensive attention, but not much else.
When Alli received the ball again, he found Bruno instead of Valencia marking him.
Alli was slightly faster than Bruno, but he was dribbling while Bruno was sprinting full tilt. Bruno quickly caught up, grabbed Alli's shoulder with one hand, and went for the ball with his foot.
Many underestimated Bruno's defensive capabilities, thinking of him as more of an offensive player. Even some in the Spurs camp held this belief. However, Alli knew better, aware that Bruno was also strong defensively.
Realizing he couldn't force a breakthrough, Alli abruptly stopped, hooked the ball back with his left foot, and tried to pivot for an inside break. But Bruno kept a firm hold on his shoulder, preventing the turn. With United's defense reorganized, Alli fell, clutching his ankle in apparent pain.
The referee blew the whistle, calling a foul on Bruno.
...
Spurs' free kick was taken by Vertonghen, who managed to get his head on the ball but, under pressure from Maguire, directed it wide.
Though they didn't score, Spurs were determined to use Alli as their offensive linchpin. Bruno marked Alli closely, almost never leaving his side. Whenever Alli got the ball, Bruno was there to defend.
Alli found it hard to break past Bruno, who seemed to anticipate his moves. Whenever Alli attempted an inside break, Bruno blocked his path. If Alli's inside break was a feint aiming for a baseline run, Bruno would tackle the ball out of play.
Alli could only rely on his speed to break past Bruno, but those opportunities didn't always come. Starting from a standstill, it was nearly impossible to beat Bruno, who held his position firmly.
Seeing Alli's struggle, Pochettino adjusted the formation, moving Alli to the forward line, shifting Spurs to a 4-4-2 formation.
...
Bruno couldn't follow Alli to a defensive position. If he did, who would organize the attack? Although Bruno's stamina was not an issue, the delay in moving from one box to another would be costly.
Seeing Alli between Valencia and Maguire, Bruno had no choice but to focus on organizing attacks to regain the lead before Spurs scored.
Spurs soon had another attack. This time, Alli, receiving a pass from Son, found himself in front of the goal with a golden opportunity. But unprepared for such an easy pass through multiple defenders, he missed, shooting wide.
"Ah! That was a harder miss than a goal! Alli missed it!" the Spurs commentator exclaimed in disappointment.
The United commentator sighed in relief, "That was close… very close… United nearly fell behind again! They must not let Spurs score! With Spurs pressing hard, if I were Mourinho, I'd solidify the defense…"
...
Mousa Dembélé saw Bruno and wondered if he should continue marking him. Pochettino hadn't given him specific instructions regarding Bruno.
Should he keep following Bruno, who seemed more like a bystander than a threat? To decide, Gundogan started receiving more passes and operating between the defense and midfield.
Bruno directed teammates to pass to Gundogan, acting more as a facilitator. Gundogan, having played as an attacking midfielder before, was capable of creating dangerous passes. If Bruno couldn't play, there was still Mata on the bench.
After Gundogan set up Harry Kane with a near one-on-one chance, Dembélé decided to switch focus to Gundogan. Unexpectedly, Spurs initiated a counter-attack. But before the ball reached Alli, Kanté intercepted it, passing to Rashford, who found Gundogan again.
With Dembélé switching, Bruno found himself unmarked.
...
Gundogan, holding the ball, drew Spurs' defenders. Instead of passing forward to the signaling Kane or the advancing Rashford and Mbappe, he back-heeled it to the approaching Bruno.
Catching Spurs off guard, Bruno feigned a long shot, drawing defenders inward, then deftly chipped the ball into Spurs' box, targeting Mbappe's run.
"Here it comes! Bruno's through ball!" the United commentator exclaimed as Mbappe received the ball unmarked and shot powerfully.
Lloris reacted swiftly, diving to palm the ball away. Though a great save, the ball rebounded directly to Mbappe, who seized the moment and crossed it to the center where Harry Kane, unmarked, tapped it into the net.
"GOAL!!!"
"Kane scores! Manchester United take the lead with a 2-1 scoreline!" the commentator shouted. "The key player? Bruno! His sudden through ball created this chance for Mbappe…"
Kane, unfazed by the jeers and insults from Spurs fans, celebrated his goal with Mbappe and Bruno, ignoring the hostility.
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